Wed. Nov 30, 2016 News from Israel

IDF Chief of staff in talks with chief rabbi about men and women serving together in the IDF

A former close aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being investigated for sexual abuse and assault. A woman who attended a conference with the former aide says he offered her a ride home, which she accepted, and that it turned into a night of alcohol, violence and sexual assault involving other men in an undisclosed apartment. The affair has been secretly under investigation for the last 5 months and the accused is under house arrest on Wednesday. The lawyer representing the accused calls the accusations ridiculous and says there is no base for them.

The ex-IDF General who is accused of raping a female soldier serving under his command may accept a plea deal. The complainant insisted on Wednesday that an emerging plea deal require the officer to take responsibility for his actions and not to imply there was a romantic relationship between the two. The terms of the deal also stipulate that Ofek Buchris will not serve a prison sentence but will be demoted one rank and that in return to admitting guilt to certain offenses, he will not have to stand trial for other more serious crimes he's accused of.

Foreign news agencies are reporting that the Israel Air Force attacked two Hezbollah targets near the Syrian capital on Wednesday. According to reports, one of the targets was an arms convoy belonging to Hezbollah on the Damascus-Beirut highway and the second was Syrian army military site in Damascus. Prime Minister Netanyahu has stated publicly that Syria is a partner in any attack against it and that it is the mission of the IDF to protect the citizens of Israel against Hezbollah. Jerusalem has neither confirmed nor denied the airstrikes, only stating that they do not comment on foreign media reports.

Idf Chief of Staff Gadi Izenkot is in talks on Wednesday with Rabbis about the future of religious women serving in combat units together with men. Izenkot says he will establish a committee of rabbis and other religious leaders to look into the complaints of dozens of religious women who face specific issues about serving in close quarters with men. The IDF says there might have been specific instances where religious women might have felt uncomfortable and they vow to improve the situation.